The Kootenai Tribe’s forgotten war A video documentary about the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho declaring war on the United States, "Idaho's Forgotten War: A Lost Tale of Courage," is a testament to former tribal chairwoman Amy Trice. The documentary aired on Idaho Public Television in August.Indian Country Today 8/24/2010

What’s proper government role: That’s the real question Commentator Wayne Hoffman argues that even though Idaho Public Television produces excellent, stylish and substantive local programming, its activity falls outside the scope of the proper role of government.Idaho Press-Tribune 8/9/2010

Documentary tells story of 'Idaho's Forgotten War' "Idaho's Forgotten War, A Lost Tale of Courage," an hour-long documentary on Amy Trice, the 1974 Kootenai War and what it's done for the tribe will air on Idaho Public Television at 9 p.m. Tuesday, August 10, 2010.Bonner County Daily Bee 8/6/2010

Forest Service made a common-sense decision Bethine Church and Peter Morrill argue that that former Idaho Sen. Frank Church, who was one of the creators of the Wilderness Act, would have agreed with the Forest Service's decision to allow IdahoPTV to film in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area.Idaho Statesman 6/18/2010

Video cameras are a wilderness no-no The decision to deny Idaho Public Television the right to film in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness was reversed after public complaints. But an interim plan that will guide access into the wilderness for the next 18 months as a permanent policy takes shape still leaves matters so unclear that individual Forest Service officials may exercise more discretion than they deserve.Lewiston Morning Tribune 6/17/2010

Forest Service now allowing filming in wilderness areas Causing a furor among some conservationists, the U.S. Forest Service will allow commercial filming in national forest wilderness areas nationwide through the end of 2011 as long as filming doesn't disturb the land and the movie being made focuses only on wilderness values.Fort Collins Coloradoan 6/15/2010

A reel-life lesson in managing federal land U.S. Forest Service officials did the right thing by reversing an ill-advised decision to ban an Idaho Public Television film crew from the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. And they have drafted a guideline acknowledging the role film crews can play in helping the public understand the inherent, enduring values of their public lands.Idaho Statesman 6/11/2010

Forest Service issues new wilderness filming rules The U.S. Forest Service has issued temporary new guidelines on commercial filming that cover some 439 wilderness areas it oversees nationwide, kicking off a fresh round of debate over how best to manage these federally protected preserves.Idaho Statesman 6/7/2010

Otter picks righteous fight with feds this time Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's frequent spats with federal agencies are often misguided. But his latest fight - over a Salmon-Challis National Forest official's decision to deny an Idaho Public Television request to film in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area - is spot on.Moscow-Pullman Daily News 5/21/2010

GUARDIAN Solves IPTV Forest Access Issue Editor of Boise newspaper obtained letters from both the Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service and the Dept. of Interior Park Service stating he had the right to take pictures on public land as long as the land, the wildlife, and the people on it were not being disturbed.Boise Guardian 5/20/2010

Wilderness ban for IPTV film crew miffs Gov. Otter The U.S. Forest Service is now investigating a forest supervisor's decision to keep Idaho Public Television out of the 2.3-million acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Gov. Butch Otter had some strong words for the Forest Service after learning about the ban.KTVB.com 5/20/2010

Gov. Otter takes on feds over wilderness filming Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter chastised the U.S. Forest Service for forbidding the state's educational broadcasting network from sending a cameraman into a central Idaho wilderness area.Idaho Statesman 5/19/2010

Idaho governor takes 'all or none' stance on GOP debate Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter won't participate in Tuesday's debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates because he disagreed with organizers' decision to use "proof of an active campaign" as a criteria for including candidates, which kept Tamara Wells, Ron "Pete" Peterson, and Walt Bayes from being invited to debate.Twin Falls Times-News 5/17/2010

Be honest about why you’re not debating Gov. Otter has the right to decline the invitation to debate on Idaho Public Television, but he should be forthright about why. And it seems far-fetched to believe that it's out of fairness to a few fringe candidates.Idaho Press-Tribune 5/7/2010

Forum-shy incumbents do disservice to democracy Idaho voters may be feeling like Goldilocks after hearing the explanations some candidates have given for participating or not participating in an upcoming series of televised debates.Spokesman-Review 5/4/2010

Cheers & Jeers Cheers to Idaho Public Television and the taxpayers who fund it for continuing the three-decades-long tradition of broadcasting statewide political debates. Jeers to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter for skipping the debate.Idaho Post Register 4/30/2010

Help needed to keep IdahoPTV running The JFAC vote to keep IdahoPTV funding in place is good news, but individual viewers will have to step up their donations to ensure the long-term viability of the statewide public television network.Moscow-Pullman Daily News 3/15/2010

Public TV faces cuts but off chopping block Idaho Public Television viewers can thank state legislators for not taking Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's recommendation to heart, choosing to reduce the station's budget rather than look to phase out funding altogether.Idaho Mountain Express 3/12/2010

Idaho public TV cuts scaled back The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee trimmed Idaho Public Television's budget Tuesday, but the damage was far less than Gov. Butch Otter called for earlier.Spokane Spokesman-Review 3/10/2010

IPTV budget cut, but not as much as Otter wanted The television station that broadcasts the Idaho Legislature, "Sesame Street" and other shows across the state appears likely to escape budget cuts of the magnitude Gov. C.L. "Butch" demanded when the 2010 session started.Spokane Spokesman-Review 3/9/2010

The squeeze on Big Bird The challenges that Idaho Public Television is facing are emblematic of the decisions that public television agencies and stations around the country will have to make if states decide that public television is no longer a business they can afford to be in.Stateline.org 3/4/2010

Compassion? Don't look for it here, Butch Speaking to the Idaho Press Club last week, Gov. Otter contended some newspapers have portrayed him as relishing the role of budget cutter but said, "It's not fun." Whatever the governor's experience, it's not the job of the press to give politicians a break.Lewiston Morning Tribune 3/3/2010

Imagine that, Butch - politics is a rough 'sport' Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter pleads for compassion for the hard budgetary decisions he's had to make, but there are a lot of ways to obey the constitutional mandate to balance the budget, and they don't all include gutting education or doing away with public television.Moscow-Pullman Daily News 3/2/2010

Idaho budget blueprint: 8.5% cut for schools Under JFAC plan for 2011 budget, schools would see an unprecedented 8.5 percent cut in state funding; higher education funding would drop 14 percent; and Medicaid would drop 3.5 percent, for a 25.9 percent drop in state Medicaid funding over the past two years.Spokane Spokesman-Review 2/25/2010

Otter wants compassion from media Governor tells the Idaho Press Club he doesn't enjoy having to cut spending but is Constitutionally mandated to balance the budget.Lewiston Morning Tribune 2/25/2010

Otter’s methods juvenile If the Governor wanted to pressure IdahoPTV to trim its budget, he should have done it in private rather than threatening to phase out its funding altogether.Argonaut 2/22/2010

Cheers and Jeers Jeers to the State Affairs Committee for voting against a 1 percent cost of living increase for retired state and local government employees. Cheers to the Idaho congressional delegation for standing up for discounts enjoyed by senior citizens and disabled public land users.Idaho Falls Post Register 2/19/2010

Picking sides Last week Idaho schools Superintendent Tom Luna persuaded the Idaho Land Board to drain an extra $22 million from an endowment reserve account to soften the budget hit on public schools. This week, he derailed a proposal to pump more money into it by raising rents on state-owned lakeside cottages.Lewiston Morning Tribune 2/19/2010

Endangered: 'Outdoor Idaho' Idaho Public TV's iconic show may vanish from parts of Idaho if Otter's plans to phase out state funding are realized.Lewiston Morning Tribune 2/18/2010

Gov. Butch Otter says he lost control of his message to agencies Gov. Butch Otter says that he had no intention of removing general-fund financial support from several commissions, councils and Idaho Public Television, but he proposed that in his budget to motivate them to shoulder their share of state budget cuts.Idaho Statesman 2/18/2010

Butch Otter's budgeting - Version 2.0 Gov. Otter says he'd like to get agencies such as Idaho Public Television, the Human Rights Commission and the Parks and Recreation Department as close to self-funding as possible, but claims that he wasn't serious about zeroing them out completely.Idaho Statesman 2/18/2010

Otter backs expansion of income tax credit Proposed legislation would create incentives to donate to agencies facing funding cuts such as the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Idaho Public Television.Twin Falls Times-News 2/17/2010

No decision yet on IPTV Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's plan to phase out state funding for Idaho Public Television could seriously affect the University of Idaho's ability to support its media classes.Argonaut 2/16/2010

Malad residents fighting public TV cuts A Malad woman is seeking to organize opposition to state cuts proposed by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter that would terminate public television broadcasts to rural Idaho communities.Idaho State Journal 2/2/2010

A case for dollars for higher education, landing with a thud Where is the public outcry - or even public heartburn - over proposed cuts to higher ed budgets? Does Idaho believe in higher education's power to change lives and drive economic growth? Or is that cheap talk in a legislative session defined by tight budgets?Idaho Statesman 1/31/2010

Proposed cuts to IPTV rile supporters, founders Former KUID station manager and U of I School of Communications Director Peter Haggart conveys his "stunned" reaction to the news that the state may end support for public broadcasting in Idaho.Moscow-Pullman Daily News 1/30/2010

Taking a look at IdahoPTV Is there a future for Sesame Street in Idaho? Many locally and throughout the state hope so. In the past week, Idaho residents have banded together in opposition of Gov. C.L "Butch" Otter's plan to phase out all state funding for Idaho Public Television.Rexburg Standard Journal 1/29/2010

Budget cuts could spell doom for public TV in valley Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's proposal to cut funding for Idaho Public Television is quickly becoming a controversial issue, with some legislators lamenting the impact this could have on most of the state's residents.Idaho Mountain Express 1/29/2010